


Babysitting

by DarkMoonMaiden



Category: Pacific Rim (2013)
Genre: Cuddling, Family Feels, Hannibal's really awkward but we love him anyways, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-08-28
Updated: 2013-08-28
Packaged: 2017-12-24 21:34:46
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,557
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/944914
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/DarkMoonMaiden/pseuds/DarkMoonMaiden
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Hannibal plays babysitter while Newt's on a business trip.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Babysitting

**Author's Note:**

> A request from hachimitsulemon on tumblr, who wanted Newt and Hannibal as dads. Hope you like it! <3

“I have a kid,” Newton blurted out before he could stop himself.

Hannibal’s chopsticks froze halfway to his mouth, the food falling out between them. Slowly, he lowered the utensils down and straightened his back.

“Alright,” the kaijuu dealer said slowly, drawing a complete blank on what to say.

“I didn’t cheat on you or anything!” Newt rushed to say, waving his hands frantically in front of him. “She’s, like, seven. Born _way_ before I even met you. And I didn’t actually spawn her, she’s my cousin, but since my aunt died and so did pretty much the rest of our family in the kaijuu attacks me and my other aunt have been taking care of her.”

“Alright,” Hannibal repeated as his brain finally started processing what Newt had told him. “And why are you telling me this now?” He couldn’t think of any reason why the eccentric scientist would decide then to tell him about his kid—there hadn’t been a mention of anything kid-related, and there had been plently of opportunities in the past months of their relationship to tell him.

Newt bit his lip nervously, running a hand through his messy hair. “Uh, well, since, y’know, the kaiju are gone for now, Auntie Cecilia wants her to come stay with me for awhile.”

Oh. _Oh._

“So…she’s gonna be around,” Hannibal clarified.

Newt nodded. “The Marshall’s already approved for her living with me, but…well, I’m gonna have a lot of meetings at other Shatterdomes and I don’t really have a babysitter…”

“No,” Hannibal said bluntly. “No way.”

“Please,” Newt said, diving straight into puppy-eyes and begging. “It’ll be for _one_ night, and Lissa’s super quiet.”

“I’m gonna be out all night,” Hannibal said bluntly.

“At the shop, right? You can sit her in a back room or in the corner. I’ll make sure she has her homework. She has my brains, y’know; not my completely rational and normal obsession with kaiju, which is a total shame, but whatever, as long as she kicks ass at it—“

“Kid. Do you really think a little girl belongs in a dangerous place like that? Or around me?”

“I think she’ll be safe with you,” Newt said with an honesty that made Hannibal want to punch something out of frustration. Because goddammit, he couldn’t fight against that earnestly trusting expression Newt was pinning him with.

Newt grinned widely when he seemed to realize this, and leaned over the table to plant a kiss on Hannibal’s lips before cheerily going back to eating.

Now, staring into a pair of dark brown eyes, Hannibal cursed Newt and his manipulative ways.

“Alright, so I’ll be back around six tomorrow,” Newt said as he rushed around his apartment, searching for his notbook and pulling on his jacket. “No drugging, no maiming, no torturing, no making her ‘disappear’—“

“Damn it, Newt!”

“Fine, fine! Make sure she’s in bed by eleven. Now gimme a hug, honeybee.” He crouched down and the strangely serious girl wrapped her small arms around his neck, kissing his cheek.

“Bye, Uncle Newt,” she said, jerking away and choking on a giggle when he rubbed his scratchy, unshaven chin into her cheek. “Stop it, zhat tickles.”

Newt chuckled, standing up and pushing her towards Hannibal’s awaiting limo. When she was in, he faced Hannibal, who had been watching the exchange with a bemused sort of shock. “What?” Newt teased, running his fingers under the lapels of Hannibal’s jacket. “You feelin’ jealous?”

“No, it’s just weird seeing you domestic without it ending with some kind of explosion,” Hannibal said bluntly.

“That was one time,” Newt squawked indignantly.

“ _Three_ times,” Hannibal corrected. “That time with the oven, and the cat—“

“Okay, okay, point proven, you don’t need to talk to about that in front of young ears,” Newt quickly said over him. Hannibal chuckled deeply, and leaned down to press a kiss to Newt’s lips. It lingered, neither one of them wanting to end it, but Newt’s taxi pulled up.

“Shit, I gotta go,” Newt said, waving an acknowledgement at the driver. “See you tomorrow, babycakes.”

“Will do,” Hannibal said, accepting a last kiss from Newt before the younger man rushed into the waiting car and left.

Taking a deep breath, Hannibal prepared himself and strode purposefully into the limo and sat down across from Lissa. Li, his second-in-command, was sitting near the driver and watching the little girl cautiously as she told the driver to go with a tap on the dividing window.

He sized Lissa up, and had the distinct feeling that she was doing the exact same thing. She was average size for her age, with her brown hair in a bob and pale skin. She barely came past Hannibal’s waist, and had her arms crossed. He couldn’t help but feel shocked at the similarities between her and Newt, from the soft faces to the same shades of eye and hair color.

After sitting for an uncomfortable few minutes in silence, Hannibal reached out to the minibar and started to fix a drink. He needed something strong, with a high alcohol percentage. “Want something?”

“I am fine,” she says shortly, German accent strong.

Hannibal bit back a sharp response, taking a deep breath to calm himself. He poured a glass of expensive whiskey and downed it in one go, refilling it and sitting back.

“Well,” he began slowly. “There are some rules we have to go over before we get to the shop, for safety reasons.” Lissa didn’t say anything, still pinning him with her unnerving gaze. “They’re pretty simple—don’t talk to anyone besides me or Li, and when I saw leave or get down, you do it like it shoulda been done a week ago. Don’t touch anything, don’t get in anyone’s way—“

“You do not want me to be a nuisance,” Lissa interrupted him. “I understand. I’ll be ‘good.’”

_Jesus Christ,_ Hannibal groans in his head as he tosses his drink back. This was going to be a bigger disaster than he had anticipated.

They arrived at the shop, people bustling and the rain pouring out of the clouds. Li got out first, glaring at anyone who got too close to the limo and opening a large umbrella. She held it out for her boss and Lissa, walking with them to the front door and keeping a keen lookout for any potential threat. The two guards stationed outside bowed and followed them in.

Hannibal couldn’t help but feel a tendril of satisfaction at the awed expression Lissa wore as she took in the lab, watching with fascination as his workers scurried around and made careful incisions into the precious pieces of kaiju tissue. It was almost uncanny—and worrying—how much she looked like her uncle when something caught the attention of his scientific mind.

He could see the questions rolling around in her mind, and where Newt would be voicing these questions rapidly and hovering over the workers, Lissa stayed next to Hannibal and kept the questions to herself, content to observe the proceedings and clutch her backpack to her chest.

Hannibal reached out to put a hand on her shoulder, and the spell was broken. She jerked away from the hand and sent him a venomous glare. He rolled his eyes behind his dark glasses, purposefully ignoring Li’s indignant huff.

“Go sit over there,” he said, motioning with his head to an empty table that was usually reserved for paperwork, near the wall. “I got some work to do.” Lissa nodded and went to the table indicated, sitting on the stool and unzipping her backpack.

“ _Brat needs to learn respect_ ,” Li muttered to her boss in Cantonese, handing him a clipboard.

“ _Thought you were above insulting kids_ ,” he growled in response, signing the papers with a gold fountain pen. Her eyebrows shot up. “ _Oh, don’t give me that look. I don’t wanna make this any more difficult than it already is, got it?_ ”

He didn’t offer up any more of an explanation, and Li knew better than to press the matter. She tilted her head respectfully and left with the papers, fighting back the smirk that was trying to break through. One of the guards she passed caught her eye, sharing in her amusement. _He’s already so in love,_ she chuckled silently as she dialed a client’s number into her cellphone.

Hannibal made sure that part of his attention was focused on Lissa at all times, but he was suspecting that it wasn’t necessary; she hadn’t moved from the spot he had designated as hers for the whole hour she’d been there, dutifully scribbling in a spiral notebook while reading a textbook. Every once in a while he toyed with the idea of starting up a conversation with her—or at least trying to. The assurance that she would sneer or say something sharp made him stay back, though, and he continued to work at a safe distance.

Eventually, Lissa finished her homework and put the textbook away, going back to watching the bustling lab. She rested her chin in her hands, watching as Hannibal stood near her, barking out instructions to a frazzled looking man.

“I set Uncle Newt’s last girlfriend’s hair on fire, you know.”

Hannibal stopped in midsentence. Li made a wheezing sound, somewhere between a cough and a snort. The crime lord turned around and stared at her, mouth still open from speaking.

“Excuse me?” he asked blankly.

Lissa shrugged. “And zhe boyfriend before zhat only lasted a few days before he found snakes in his bed.”

Hannibal didn’t know how to respond. “Why’d you do that?”

Another shrug. “She waz going to have me live only with my aunt. And he I did not like.”

Hannibal caught on with where this was going. He put his hands on the desk, leaning against them and meeting Lissa’s stare straight on. “Don’t try and play this with me, brat,” he sneered. “I’ve been threatening people since before you were even an idea.”

“I am not _threatening_ you,” she said, enunciating the word meticulously. “I am simply stating vhat has happened in zhe past.”

“Fine,” he agreed coldly. “Say you weren’t. Then what’re you gettin’ at?”

“Zhat his lovers do not last long.”

Hannibal lowered his voice, not yet using the growl he used when dealing with particularly annoying clients but getting near to it. “If you _really_ think that I’m as weak as some no doubt nerdy little punks…”

“One of zhem was a personal bodyguard to the President’s family and anozzer vas a champion body builder. I zhink I can handle some third-rate criminal.” The silence stretched between them as both refused to be the first to look away.

Li came up, face red from holding in laughter. “ _Sir_ ,” she said in a strangled tone, holding up the cellphone. “ _The Americans wish to speak to you_.”

Reluctantly, Hannibal turned away from the smug little girl to take care of his business.

Hours and hours later, Hannibal internally cringed when Lissa’s yawn reminded him that her bedtime had been a good four hours ago. Sighing heavily, he called it a night. He pulled on his tailored red coat and went to Lissa, lowly telling her that it was time to leave. She didn’t bother with a snarky remark, choosing to simply pick up her backpack and following Hannibal out into the waiting limo. Neither of them said anything on the way to the apartment, Hannibal finishing up a few things on his tablet and Lissa watching the city pass by the tinted window.

The maids had already carefully laid out pillows and blankets onto the couch for Lissa when they arrived. Upon entering the living room, the girl immediately dropped her backpack next to the couch and dove under the covers, not even bothering to change out of her clothes.

Hannibal nudged her shoulder, earning a tired grunt. “You should change,” he said. “It’ll be more comfortable for you.” She whined in annoyance before throwing the covers off and stomping to her suitcase in the corner. She pulled out a T-shirt and flannel pants before going into the bathroom to change.

She left the bathroom just as Hannibal was passing it to go to his and Newt’s room. “Need anything?” he asked.

“Sleep,” she mumbled before going back to her bed and shutting off the light. Hannibal called out a goodnight and went into his room.

***

Newt held his breath as he quietly opened the door to the apartment, preparing to see a battleground of broken furniture, shattered plates and smashed windows.

Instead of the chaos he was expecting, the eccentric scientist was shocked to see that the apartment was in its usual cleanly state, with everything in its proper place. And there, with a white comforter halfway kicked off, was Lissa, still fast asleep.

He sighed in relief, dropping his bag. He slipped out of his jacket and shoes, setting them by the door. Walking over to the couch, he crouched beside his niece and pushed a few strands of hair out of her face.

She shifted, eyes opening slightly. “ _Uncle Newt_?” she mumbled in German.

“ _Hey, sweetie_ ,” he smiled. “ _You should go back to sleep. It’s still really early_.” She shook her head, climbing into his lap.

“ _How was the meeting_?” she asked, wrapping her arms and legs securely around him.

“ _Boring and long. As usual. But I got to piss of Hermann, so bonus. How was spending time with Hannibal_?” He asked the last question hesitantly, not sure if he actually wanted to hear the answer.

“ _It was alright_ ,” she hummed. After a few moments, she whispered, “ _I like him_.”

Newt started in shock. “ _You do_?” he asked. “ _No shit_?”

She giggled and nodded. “ _But don’t tell him. I can still get cake and food if he thinks I don’t like him_.” Newt affectionately kissed the top her head, hugging her tighter.

“ _That’s my girl_ ,” he said approvingly. He whispered in her ear, “ _I like him, too_.” Lissa looked up and gave him a sleepy smile.

Newt continued talking until Lissa went nodding off back to sleep and the sun was starting to rise. Hitching her up onto his hip, Newt made his way into his bedroom. Hannibal was snoring up a storm, still deep asleep.

He set Lissa on the unoccupied side of the bed and changed into his pajamas. He slid in between the two on the bed, pressing his back into Hannibal and cuddling Lissa to his chest. Hannibal sighed contentedly, wrapping his arm around Newt and by extension the little girl, holding them close and stopping his snoring momentarily. Lissa huffed and threw her leg over them both in retaliation, almost violently shifting to get comfortable. She eventually stopped moving when she found a good position, plastering herself against Newt.

Grinning broadly, Newt pulled the blanket over the three of them, making sure the other two got enough. He knew without a doubt that come morning, Hannibal and Lissa would be bickering and arguing—like how Lissa did with all of Newt’s girlfriends and boyfriends—but now, he basked in the morning silence, listening to them both breathe, and the feeling of having the two people closest to his heart curled up around him.

Holding them close, Newt fell into a light sleep.

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you for reading!


End file.
